The U.S. military reported it carried out a series of airstrikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria, describing the operation as retaliation for a December attack that killed two American soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter. In a statement, U.S. Central Command said American aircraft conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 Islamic State targets between Feb. 3 and Thursday.
Central Command said the strikes hit weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure, as U.S. forces continue operations in Syria aimed at Islamic State militants. The reported figures were tied to the period since the United States began its strikes after the Dec. 13 ambush, according to Central Command.
Central Command said the Dec. 13 attack killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, along with Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a civilian interpreter. The U.S. military said those deaths were the basis for the retaliation strikes it reported Saturday.
Central Command also said at least 50 Islamic State members have been killed or captured in the strikes, and it said more than 100 Islamic State targets have been struck since the United States began its campaign following the ambush. The statement framed the reported outcomes as part of the broader effort against Islamic State after it declared a “caliphate” in parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Separate from the U.S. strike report, Syria’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Syrian government forces took control of a base in the east of the country that had been run for years by U.S. troops as part of the fight against Islamic State. The Al-Tanf base was described as playing a major role after Islamic State expanded in Syria and Iraq.
The U.S. military also reported that on Friday it completed the transfer of thousands of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial. The transfer was carried out at the request of Baghdad, and it was welcomed by the U.S.-led coalition that has fought Islamic State for years.